Pancreatic Cancer May Have a New Foe
Studies Show Blocking One Gene Could Help Stop the Killer Disease
Jan 13, 2009
Proteins produced by a particular gene may provide a new target for treating deadly pancreatic cancer, researchers say.
Experiments at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Minnesota show the “Seven-In-Absentia-Homolog” (SIAH) protein can stop a key pathway in another gene that, in a mutated form, has been linked to excessive growth of pancreatic cancer.
About 34,000 People Will Die of Pancreatic Cancer This Year
It is expected that about 38,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Of those, about 34,000 will die of the disease.
Even when detected early, the 5-year-survival from pancreatic malignancy is only about 33 percent.
The findings of this most recent study were presented at the American Society for Cell Biology’s annual meeting in December 2008 in San Francisco.
“By attacking the SIAH-based protein-degrading machinery, we block tumor formation in one of the most aggressive human cancers cells known,” Mayo researcher Amy Tang said in a news release issued by the conference organizers.
The Mutated Gene
The mutated gene, K-RAS, normally promotes growth but in its abnormal form it kicks into overdrive, opening a major signaling pathway that help increase cell growth in people with pancreatic cancer.
Experiment Used Fruit Flies as Subjects
In experiments with fruit flies, increased SIAH expression was associated with increased grades and aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer.
Tang said study should follow into whether SIAH inhibition can treat pancreatic cancer in humans.
What is the Pancreas?
The pancreas is a tube-shaped organ about six-inches-long located in the back of the abdomen, behind the stomach. The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen; it is connected to the duodenum, the upper end of the small intestine.
The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail, extends to the left side of the body.
The pancreas makes pancreatic juices and hormones including insulin.
Pancreatic juices, also called enzymes, help digest food in the small intestine. Insulin controls the amount of sugar in the blood. Both enzymes and hormones are needed to keep the body working right.
As pancreatic juices are made, they flow into the main pancreatic duct. This duct joins the common bile duct, which connects the pancreas to the liver and the gallbladder. The common bile duct, which carries bile, connects to the small intestine near the stomach.
What Causes Pancreatic Cancer?
Scientists are not exactly sure what causes the cancer; however, smoking is a major risk factor. Research shows that cigarette smokers develop cancer of the pancreas two to three times more often than nonsmokers. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, and a number of other diseases.
What are Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer?
Typically, early pancreatic cancer onset shows no signs. If the tumor blocks the common bile duct and bile cannot pass into the digestive system, the skin and whites of the eyes may become yellow, and the urine may become darker.
As the cancer grows and spreads, pain develops in the upper abdomen and may spread to the back. The pain may become worse after the person eats or lies down.
Cancer of the pancreas can also cause nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss and weakness.
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